The effects of historical events on faunal movements outlined
by Macey et al. (2000) and the range of L. reevesii in South China
raise several questions that form the basis of this study: (1) How
did Leiolepis extend its historical range into China? Did the dispersal
route proceed from Vietnam in a northerly direction to Chinese
mainland and then southerly from Chinese mainland to
Hainan, or easterly from Vietnam to Hainan and then northerly
from Hainan to Chinese mainland? (2) How important were the
Wuzhishan and Yinggeling mountain ranges and the sea barrier
in the Gulf of Tonkin and the Qiongzhou Strait to gene flow
(Fig. 1)? (3) What is the demographic history of L. reevesii and
the events that shaped its population demography? (4) What is
the level of genetic variability among populations of L. reevesii
and how is the variation partitioned within populations?